Samsung's folding phone is real and opens to a tablet

Samsung says it will soon be mass production of its folding phone. Juan Garzon / CNET Samsung on Wednesday gave…

Samsung says it will soon be mass production of its folding phone.

Juan Garzon / CNET

Samsung on Wednesday gave the first glimpse of its forthcoming foldable phone saying it will be mass-produced “in the coming months.”

Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile marketing, showed up the phone, which is a tablet when it’s completely open and then a phone when it’s closed. It uses a new display technology called Infinity Flex Display, which lets you open and close the device over and over again without deterioration.

“Infinity Flex Display represents a brand new mobile platform,” said Denison. “We’ve lived in a world where the size of your screen can only be as great as the device itself. We’ve added a new dimension to help you browse, watch and multitask like never before.”

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The device that he showed is not the final product. It is likely that Samsung versions will be nicer and have less features than the device Denison showed.

“The success or failure of Samsung’s first folding phone depends on how well Samsung has been able to unplug the device.” CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said. “If it’s a sleek, attractive device, it will be a magnet for gadget lovers. If it’s bulky and difficult to use, it’s going to be a tougher sale.”

The folding phone can run up to three apps at once, something that Samsung calls Multi Active Window. Google Glen Murphy, director of Android UX, took the scene after Denison and said Android will support the new collapsible imaging technology .

Denison added that Samsung also works with rollable and extendable screen technology.

Samsung made the announcements at its fifth annual developer conference, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday in San Francisco. The event, starting small at a San Francisco hotel, in 2016 expanded to Moscone Center West, where Apple previously held its development conference. Last year 5000 people participated in SDC.

Samsung hopes to bring consumers into the trap.

Juan Garzon / CNET

SDC reflects Samsung’s great push to make developers make software specific to their devices. Previously, apps working on the edge of Samsung’s bent smartphone were showing or using their S Pen stylus. This year, the focus has been on Bixby and artificial intelligence.

Samsung has chased the sacred degree on a collapsible phone because it plagued one on CES 2013 by displaying a flexible OLED display. The device is on a hard time for the mobile market. Apple and Samsung’s mobile phone sales slow down, and the global smartphone market is said to be in recession. Folding phones can mark the next major innovation in mobile devices – as long as they’re not so gimmicky .

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Justin Denison, Samsung Vice President of Mobile Marketing: “We’ve added a new dimension to help you browse, watch and multitask like never before. “

Angela Lang / CNET

D.J. Koh, CEO of Samsung’s mobile company, told CNET in an October interview that you will be able to use the device as a tablet with multitasking capabilities before you can put it into a more portable phone. He once again stressed that the folding phone would not be a “gimmick product” that would “disappear after six to nine months after it was delivered.”

“When delivering a folding phone, it must be very meaningful to our customers,” Koh said last month.

Folding Phone Specifications

During a Wednesday afternoon panel with developers, Samsung provided more information about its upcoming folding device. The company’s goal is to have battery life lasting as long as current Galaxy smartphones, “said Jisun Park, Technical Manager and Chief of System Software Group for Samsung’s mobile company. It is despite the fact that there is more screen that drains the battery.

Samsung provided some specific details about its folding phone displays under a panel at its developer conference.

Shara Tibken / CNET

The protection display, what you see when the device is closed and looks more like a regular phone, is 4.58 inches and has a 21: 9 aspect ratio. Samsung says it has a resolution of 840×1960, with a sharpness density of 420 dpi.

“Compared to the main screen, experience is more … optimized for focused and convenient and quick access and interaction to utilize the small screen,” Park says. When the device is unfolded, the cover shuts off and turns black, he added.

The main screen, the bigger the screen you see when you set up the phone is 7.3 inches and has a 4: 3 aspect ratio. Samsung says the resolution is 1536×2152, with a screen density of 420 dpi.

“Phone Development gives more information with visual signals, “said Park. He noted that it is important for Samsung to get developers aboard to build their ecosystem to utilize the multiple screens.

Claus Enevoldsen, Marketing Manager at Flipboard, showed an app as His company has worked with Samsung’s folding phone. Samsung and Flipboard have worked together for several years, with the news app that gave prominent positioning on Galaxy phones.

Nä If you’re closed, you’ll see a single box of information in the flipboard app, much like what you normally see in the smartphone version. When you leave the phone, you get a larger panel – it appears to the same point where you turned off the cover screen – and multiple windows.

“We want to lean in and take advantage of everything possible with this form factor,” says Enevoldsen.

First published at 11:30 PM PTUpdate at 4:25 pm PT: Adding details from a panel.Update at 5:35 p.m. PT: Adds analyst comments.

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